Garbage disposer



Jan. 12, 1965 R. J. STOUT ETAL 3,165,270

GARBAGE DISPOSER Filed July 30, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 9b 41 340 I E/IAO' B/-4\ 53 INVENTORS ROLLA J. STOUT DONALD E. BUHRMESTER mMMti W ATTORNEY Jan. 12, 1965 R, J. STOUT ETAL 3,165,270

GARBAGE DISPOSER Filed July 30, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ROLLA J. STOUT DONALD E. BUHRMESTER ATTORNEY Jan. 12, 1965 R. J. STOUT ETAL 3,165,270

GARBAGE DISPOSEIR Filed July so, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTCRS ROLLA J. sTOUT DONALD E. BUHRMESTER BYW ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,165,270 GARBAGE nrsrosnn Rolls J. Stout, Danviile, and Donaid E. Bnhrmester,

This invention relates to waste disposal units, and more particularly, to an improved grinding or sizing ring for a garbage disposal unit.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved disposer for rapidly grinding waste products to a size which will permit disposal through normal plumbing into a sewer.

Another object is to provide a disposer in which waste is comminuted with a minimum of wear on the sizing apertures.

Another object is to provide a disposer in which waste material is prevented from being violently ejected from the grinding chamber into the feed hopper.

Anotl1er object is to provide a disposer having a simplified assembly of parts which can be removed from its mounting for replacement and repair without breaking any plumbing connections.

Another object is to provide a disposer which operates with a minimum of operational noise.

Another object is to provide an improved grinding ring for a garbage disposer.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, reference being made to the annexed drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical section of a portion of a disposal unit constructed in accordance with the teaching of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded view, partly in section and partly in perspective, of the disposer of the present invention.

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section taken centrally through the grinding ring of the disposer of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken through the grinding ring on section line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

With reference to FIGURES 1 and 2, the garbage disposer includes a housing 12, a grinding unit 1 3, and a driving motor 16. The grinder housing 12 has a conical feed hopper 18 at the upper portion which is adapted to be connected to a sink drain or to disposal cone as shown in FIGURE 2. Internally threaded holes 20 are provided in the upper rim of the feed hopper 18 to receive capscrews 22 which secure the feed hopper 18 to the connecting flange of the disposal cone 24. A conventional rubber or plastic closure cap as is mounted at the upper end of feed hopper 18 and carries a flexible splash guard which is in the form of a downwardly and inwardly sloping diaphragm 28 that is shown in FIGURE 1. The closure cap 26 and diaphragm 28 prevent splashing of water upward from the grinding unit 14 during grinding operations and reduce the operational noise, while permitting the free flow of waste into the grinding unit.

The side walls of the feed hopper 18 taper inwardly below the closure cap 26 in order to direct waste material placed therein towardsthe center of the grinding chamber 30 which is located at the lower portion of grinder housing 12. The side walls of feed hopper 18 and the grinding chamber 39 converge and form a guard edge 32 extending over the peripheral portion of grinding chamber 30 to prevent waste material from being violently I ejected into the hopper 18 and further reduce operational ice noise.

The side walls of grinder housing 12 flare outwardly below guard edge 32 to enclose an annular drain passage 34 which surrounds the grinding chamber 36. A drain outlet connection 35 is provided to link the annular drain passage 34 with the plumbing system for carrying away the comminuted waste. The bottom of grinder housing 12 is open to permit the insertion of the grinding unit 14 into the grinding chamber 39.

The grinding unit 14 includes a perforated annular grinding or sizing ring 36 that contacts guard edge 32 of the grinder housing 12 when inserted in operating position. The sizing element 36 has a plurality of apertures 38 through which the comminuted waste passes to reach the annular drain passageway 34. Projecting inwardly from the vertical surface of the grinding or sizing ring 36 are plurality of lugs 40 which are arranged in a generally diamond-shaped pattern having one row of lugs extending diagonally upward while another row of lugs extends diagonally downwardly and intersects the other row. The lower end of each lug extends downwardly below the upper end of an adjacent lug a distance X, as seen in FIGURE 4, and each lug is provided with a generally vertical shearing edge 41. The spacing of the lugs 46 causes a shearing action on waste forced between the lugs while the overlapping arrangement of lugs provides a vertical shearing lug edge 41 in every horizontal plane within the sizing ring 36.

It is to be particularly noted in FIGURE 4 that, if a large piece of waste material is propelled along the inner surface of the sizing ring 36 in the direction of arrow A, it will first be reduced in size and forced through the opening between lugs 40a and 4%. Then it will be further reduced in size as it is forced between the lugs 40c and hid, and between the lugs Me and 40 Thus the diamond pattern of the lugs brings about a progressive breaking down of the waste material as it is propelled around the grinding chamber.

A comminuting rotor 42 is keyed to the upper end of drive shaft 44 in a position adjacent the bottom'of grinding chamber 30. The rotor 42 comprises a fiat disc 46 having at least three depending integral vanes 48 which extend outwardly from the hub of the disc along its bottom surface and act as paddles to force the waste material outwardly. The diameter of the disc 46 is less than the internal diameter of the perforated annular sizing ring 36 so as to provide an annular passage 50 between the sizing ring 36 and the disc 46. Passage 5t) communicates with the upper and lower portions of the grinding chamber 36, above and below the disc 46 respectively. Two or more cutting bars 52 are removably fixed by bolts 53 to the upper surface of the disc 45, each bar having an outer edge flush with the circumferential surface of the disc 46. In addition, the

' cutting bars 52 are secured to the disc in non-radial positions and include surfaces which serve to force the waste material outwardly by centrifugal force. When the rotor 42 turns, the cutting bars 52 pass very close to the inner end surfaces of those lugs 4% which lie in the same horizontal plane as the cutting bars.

Bottom plate 54 is mounted coaxially across the lower end of sizing ring 36. A compressible gasket 56 is fitted between the outer edge portion of bottom plate 54 and grinder housing 12 to form a fluid seal when compressed. The bottom platefid is centrally apertured to receive a sealing element 58 which provides a fluid seal between bottom plate 54 and the drive shaft 44. A conventional slinger disc 60 is mounted for rotation with the drive shaft 44 in a position below the sealing element 58 in order to collect any fluid which might seep between the seal and the shaft and to direct the fluid outwardly from the shaft 44 by centrifugal force. In this way the motor 16 and its shaft bearing 64 arekept dry and unharmed from any corrosive action of fluids. The shaft bearing 64 is mounted in a specially formed adapter plate 66 of the motor 16.

The motor 16 and adapter plate 66 are secured to the bottom plate 54 by tie bolts 68 whichalso hold the separable parts of an electric motor shell together. Tie bolts 68 extend through apertures provided in the motor adapter plate 66 and are threaded into an annular depending flange 7 which is integrally formed with bottom plate 54. At suitable spaced points, the flange 70 is provided with radial apertures 72 which direct any fluid discharge from the slinger 60, through the flange 70 and exteriorly of the motor shell through one or more notches 73 which are provided in the periphery of the motor and adapter plate 66.

Driving motor 16 and grinder unit 14 comprises an integral assembly which is bolted to the lower end of grinderhousing 12 by means of three bolts 74 (FIG. '1). The bolts 74 are threaded into circumferentially equispacedapertures provided in the hopper, and each bolt extends through a slot '76 (FIG. 2) in the motor adapter plate 66. Each slot 76 is provided with an enlarged portion 78 which is larger than the head of the associated bolt 74. This type of mounting promotes the easy re-- moval of the entire grinding assembly since the bolts 74 need only be loosened and the whole unit may be rotated to align the bolts 74 with the enlarged portions 78 of the slots 76. The assembly will then be free to drop from the grinder housing 12 as shown in FIGURE 2.

In operation, waste material is inserted into the feed hopper 18 together with water sufficient to make a thin slurry of the comminuted material. The waste material flows downwardly into the grinding chamber 30 and is thrust outwardly against'the perforated annular sizing ring 36 by the centrifugal action of the comminuting rotor 42. As the waste is propelled against the lugs 40 by the cutting bars 52, it is chopped into small pieces. Some of the small pieces which are small enough to gravitate through the annular passage 50,

will drop to the adjacent surface of the bottom plate 54. The integral vanes 48 on the comminuting rotor disc 42 sweep the waste material outwardly against the annular sizing ring 36 and thereby prevent waste particles from moving inwardly under the rotor disc 46. When these particles have been chopped fine enough by the vanes 48, they pass outwardly through the lowermost apertures 38 and are collected and transported along the annular drain passage 34. The cutting bars 5 2 comminute other portions of waste material, which are then forced through apertures 38, above the flat disc 46, by centrifugal force.

It is to be particularly noted that, since the drain outlet connection 35 is formed as an integral part of the hopper 12, as seen in FIGURE 2, the motor 16, the adapter plate 66, the rotor disc 46, and the sizing ring 14 may be removed as an assembly for service and maintenance without breaking any plumbing connections. Further, the unique arrangement of the cutting lugs 40 in a diagonal pattern of overlapping lugs provide an efiicient shearing action during rotation of the rotor 42.

It will be understood that modifications and variations of the embodiments of the garbage disposer disclosedherein may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to protect'by Letters Patent, the following:

1. A garbage disposer comprising a grinder-housing, a feed hopper in the upper portion of said grinder housing, a grinding chamber in the grinder housing below said feed hopper, and a grinding unit positioned in said grinding chamber including a perforated sizing ring, a comminuting rotor mounted for rotation within said perforated ring, a series of spaced'lugs in each half of said ring arranged in a row inclined upwardly in the direction of rotation of said rotor, and another series of spaced lugs in each half of said ring arranged in a second row inclined downwardly in the direction of rotation of said rotor, said comminuting rotor having a plurality of cutting bars and vanes arranged to force waste material radially outward against said ring upon rotation of said rotor, and a motor for driving said comminuting rotor.

2. In a garbage disposer including a grinder housing having a feed hopper in its upper portion and a grinding chamber below said feed hopper, and a grinding unit including a perforated sizing ring positioned in said grinding chamber, a comminuting rotor mounted for rotation within said perforated sizing ring, and a motor for driving said comminuting rotor; the improvement comprising a series of spaced lugs in each half of the sizing ring, said lugs being arranged in a first row inclined upwardly in the direction of. rotation of said rotor and in a second row inclined downwardly in the direction of rotation of said rotor, said two rows of spaced lugs in each half of said ring intersecting at a common lug whereby the two series of spaced lugs in the two halves of said ring join to define two connected diamond-shaped patterns between the two common lugs, said comminuting rotor having a plurality of cutting bars and vanes arranged to force waste material radially outward against said ring and lugs upon rotation of said rotor to progressively reduce the size of the waste material for passage through the perforations of said perforated sizing ring.

3. In a garbage disposer including a grinder housing having a feed hopper in the upper portion thereof and a grinding chamber below said feed hopper, and a grinding unit including a perforated sizing ring positioned in said grinding chamber, a comminuting rotor mounted for rotation within said perforated sizing ring, and a motor for driving said comminuting rotor; the improvement comprising a first row of spaced lugs in each half of said ring inclined upwardly in the direction of rotation of said rotor and a second row of spaced lugs inclined downwardly in the direction of rotation of said rotor,'the two inclined rows in'each half of said ring intersecting at a common lug, the lowersurfaces of the lugs in each of said rows lying Within a horizontal plane below the horizontal plane of the upper surface of an adjacent lug, said comminuting rotor having a plurality of cutting bars and vanes arranged to force waste material radially outward against said ring, and lugs upon rotation of said rotor to progressively reduce the size of the waste material for passage through the perforations of said perforated sizing ring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Jenkins Oct. 24, 

1. A GARBAGE DISPOSER COMPRISING A GRINDER HOUSING, A FEED HOPPER IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID GRINDER HOUSING, A GRINDING CHAMBER IN THE GRINDER HOUSING BLOW SAID FEED HOPPER, AND A GRINDING UNIT POSITONED IN SAID GRINDING CHAMBER INCLUDING A PERFORATED SIZING RING, A COMMINUTING ROTOR MOUNTED FOR ROTATION WITHIN SAID PERFORATED RING, A SERIES OF SPACED LUGS IN EACH HALF OF SAID RING ARRANGED IN A ROW INCLINED UPWARDLY IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID ROTOR, AND ANOTHER SERIES OF SPACED LUGS IN EACH HALF OF SAID RING ARRANGED IN A SECOND ROW INCLINED DOWNWARDLY IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID ROTOR, SAID COMMINUTING ROTOR HAVING A PLURALITY OF CUTTING BARS AND VANES ARRANGED TO FORCE WASTE MATERIAL RADIALLY OUTWARD AGAINST SAID RING UPON ROTATION OF SAID ROTOR, AND A MOTOR FOR DRIVING SAID COMMINUTING ROTOR. 